Turkish Americans hold parade, festival in Clifton and Paterson

Dining out on halal food is your ticket to learning about the aromatic and delectable foods of Turkey, Afghanistan, Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Jordan and a host of other countries — without leaving North Jersey.
Michael V. Pettigano/NorthJersey.com

Residents move through the Paterson and Clifton Turkish American Day Festival in Clifton's Memorial Park on May 5, 2018.(Photo: Michael W. Curley, Jr./NorthJersey.com)

The festival began with a parade starting on Main Street in Paterson before ending at Memorial Park in Clifton, where Turkish music, food, clothing and jewelry were on display and for sale.

The parade was led under partly cloudy skies by Turkish Americans from both towns, with a float sponsored by city officials following behind, as well as police and the Passaic County Sheriff's Office participating.

Suzan Demircan, one of the organizers, said spring is a happy time for the Turkish community as they come out of winter and celebrate.

"There are lots of Turkish living in Paterson and Clifton," she said. "We celebrate, we dance, we have music. It's just a happy day welcoming the spring."

A few hundred people joined the celebration at the park, indulging in kebabs, shawarma and other foods associated with Turkey while loudspeakers played traditional Turkish music.

A group of Turkish American residents lead the Paterson and Clifton Turkish American Day Parade down Main Street on May 5, 2018.(Photo: Michael W. Curley, Jr./NorthJersey.com)

"We're very proud as Turkish Americans. Both cities recognize ourselves as very hardworking, good citizens and we have accepted it as our adopted home," said Demircan, who is from Bulgaria and whose husband is from Turkey.

She said many Turkish families came to the United States following World War II through a program under President Dwight Eisenhower to bring families broken up during the war into the country.

Since then, she said, many Turkish Americans have found stability and success in the United States and the festival is a celebration of their culture and their adopted home.